Paths Crossed: Another star wars novel
by linkthedink
Summary: This is basically the story between Episode III and Episode IV. I know there are many versions to what happened but this is mine. Obi-wan is anxious for action but can't find any on Tatooine. Then he finds an old friend looking for a job... COMMENT!
1. Chapter 1

Obi-wan stepped onto the coarse sand listening for the sound again. A high growl split the quiet air. He stood straighter and reached out with the force and sensed them a few hundred kilometers from where he sat. He came up and walked up the dune. His house sat at the far side of the waste lands. He looked back toward Mos Espa.

"_I guess I'm staying in a hotel tonight_," he thought. He walked to a long building with a termite eaten sign above the door. Some alien creatures walked in and out talking in languages that even Obi-wan didn't fully understand. He checked in a small room with a sink and a hydro cooker. He checked the mirror and saw himself for the first time in a while. His hair was taking a shade of gray and his beard had grown bushier.

"Luke, Luke, where did you go."

Someone was shouting outside his door. Someone familiar. He opened the door and saw the back of a woman walking down the stairs. So it is Beru. That means… something shifted in the force under the cooler. Obi-wan crouched down under the cooler and into a hollow space, and in the corner a small boy was crouched in a ball.

"Hello there," He said softly. The boy jumped.

"How did you find me?" He asked scanning Obi-wan.

"Chance, I guess."

"What's your name?"

"You can call me Ben. Ben Kenobi. Can I ask yours?"

The boy looked at him and cleared his throat, "Luke," he whispered.

"Luke Skywalker?" Ben asked suddenly. He had to make sure it was him.

"How did you…"

"LUKE, COME HERE," it was Luke's Uncle Owen this time.

"I have to go…" said Luke looking annoyed, "I promise not to tell."

And with that he took off. Ben closed his eyes and felt with the force. He just needed a few more minuets, that was it. He slowly crawled out of the hollow space and pushed into his room. Out his window he saw the Sand people rummaging through the desert, hitting each other and growling. They were the sound he heard. He could have easily fought them off but decided not to. Instead of going home he had met one of the future hopes of the new republic. But only if he cooperated. What if he learned about his father, Anakin, and wanted to join him. His father was trained as a Jedi at only 9 years old and he turned to evil. Luke would be about 8 in a few months, so what if he did the same. Ben shrugged his shoulders, nothing could be worse than it was already. He still had to try. The force brought them together once, it would probably keep doing so until Luke was trained.

"…_or dead_," Ben thought. There was still his sister too. He got up and headed to a diner across the street. As he walked in he saw a huge alien creature with four big arms…

"Dexter?" Ben asked the guy. He looked over.

"Obi-W--…"

"Shh not here, we'll talk inside."

Together they walked to the back of the diner.

"What happened to your place, Dexter?" Ben asked.

"I got evicted. Everyone did. I came here for work in mining. Hoping to go over to Bandomeer in the future."

Ben raised his attention. Bandomeer was a very small world in the far reaches of the Outer Rim. It was practically a mining wasteland until slavery was abolished there and very precious metals were found in the planet core. Now it was the fifth wealthiest planet in the galaxy and had a booming economy. People from all over the galaxy came to work there for a chance at some of the profits.

"Why get evicted though?" asked Ben.

"Didn't you hear, Coruscant is being destroyed," Dex announced, "They're knocking out the atmosphere and blowing up the city."

"What…"

"It's true. They came in the middle of the night and told us to get out or we would have our diner burned."

"Whose they?"

"The imperial troopers," said Dex shuddering, "I don't know how they got so many guys to sign up. There're all humans too."

"Dex, you know the time when I showed you the toxic dart from Kamino?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I found the Cloners. They made a huge army for the Republic. They were given an order to go against us Jedi and…"

"The Empire was unleashed."

"Yeah…"

Ben sat down at a round table and Dex followed him, Ben reached out his feelings and felt Luke in his Inn room. He was safe for now. Maybe he could go to Bandomeer with Dex. He hadn't been in a long time…

"I'm in Dex."

"Wha…"

"I'm coming with you to Bandomeer."


	2. Chapter 2

The main lobby of the ship was packed with tons of people all waiting to go to Bandomeer. And they weren't the cleanest. Smells fumed from them and Ben held his breath 'till he made it to the large counter in the middle of the hanger.

"Name?" the clerk asked. She was a very pretty lady with short red hair cut to the ears and large green eyes that shimmered like Emeralds.

"Ben and Dexter," said Ben still mesmerized by the lady's beauty.

"Ahh yes, you are room 146b on floor 2, hall 21. Thank you."

"There are so many people here…" commented Dexter as they strode to the elevator. "You think they all came for jobs?"

"Why else would you go to Bandomeer?"

"I don't know. But I'll bet you could get into a job somewhere. Maybe we could talk to the head person? I wonder who it is…"

"Ha, tough luck! The leader is a very independent Arconan by the name of Si-Treemba."

"Si-Treemba? I know him. Him and I were best friends before I became a Je…a you-know-what. I could get you in with no problem."

"Really? Thanks a lot Ben! Oh man, I'm really excited now."

The room they booked had two beds, a bathroom, and a window that showed the main hanger of where they entered and another showing the dusty streets of Mos Espa space port. Soon the hum of the starship, PathFinder, split the bustling noise of out side and the ship took off into space. More sounds echoed as The PathFinder went into Hyperspace and the stars blurred past creating a light blue cloud in the outside window. The flight was smooth and comfortable but soon Ben grew hungry and decided to head to the kitchens. The cook served a thick stew with chunks of bread to dip it in. Fresh spring water was served but you could buy a Ruby Bleaous (A small alcoholic drink sweetened with ruby lemons) for a few Credits. After supper Ben went up to the room with Dexter and they chatted away, telling and re-telling stories of past events. They fell asleep after a while but Ben woke up to a small noise.

"Dex…was that you?" Ben asked. Dexter snorted and rolled over. Ben laid back down and felt out with the force while pretending to be asleep. He sensed a Rhonglind lurking in the shadows and right when Ben started up it let out a blood-curdling cry, jumped on Ben's bed, took his lightsaber, and ran out of the room. Ben followed close on his heels when all of a sudden it vanished. Ben knew it must have some secret passage way through the halls. The force told him to go left, so he did and soon heard scuttling in the walls. But he ran into the clerk.

"What the blast is going on?" she said. She was wearing a nightgown made of lace and looked completely angry standing in the halls undressed.

"The Rhonglind, it stole my lightsaber!"

"Your lightsaber? You're a Jedi…" A huge blast shook the halls and they both fell down on the floor. Ben hopped up. "This way!" he called to the clerk. She ran toward him and they made their way toward Hanger B1. The Rhonglind was climbing into a escape pod. It launched and Ben jumped into another one with the clerk and quickly linked it with the Rhonglind's. The pod took off falling farther and farther away from the ship.


End file.
